What are the Fire Juniors Cadets? The Fire Juniors Cadets is a training program run by Chicago Fire Juniors West (CFJ West) for its recreational soccer partner PSA during PSA's fall and spring seasons. This additional training sessions takes place 1 time per week and is designed to supplement PSA players training with skill building sessions. This training is designed and coached by a member of the CFJ West's professional coaching staff. This is not designed to replace PSA training. The PSA player will attend their regular training and games with their PSA team and coach, but attend an additional session on Friday with the Fire Juniors Cadets. 

When is the program offered?  The Fire Juniors Cadets will be held on the following dates/times:

THURSDAYS - SEPT 19th - OCT 24 - LEGENDS FIELD 
U5/U6/U7 Boys and Girls - 5pm - 6pm
  U8/U9/U10 Boys and Girls - 6pm - 7pm

FRIDAYS - SEPT 20th - OCT 25 - LEGENDS FIELD
U5/U6/U7 Boys and Girls - 5pm - 6pm 
U8/U9/U10 Boys and Girls - 6pm - 7pm

What will my child gain from this experience? These sessions will progress each training session and over the course of the season to build players' confidence, technical skills, and game understanding.  The player will also receive developmentally appropriate coaching which emphasizes the Chicago Fire and CFJ West values. This inclusion into a larger Chicago Fire family offers unique opportunities for players with outings to the professional Chicago Fire games and information regarding the club's perspective of player development. Activities will consist of small sided games and 1 player to 1 ball games to maximize each players ability to develop skill and confidence as a soccer player.
The program will focus on improving players abilities in the following areas of the game:
  Ball control with different parts of each foot
  Striking the ball techniques for goal scoring and passing
  1-V-1 skill moves such as "scissors", step-overs, and body feints
  Turning skills to evade defenders and find space
  Shooting and finishing 
  Proprioception and coordination of the body 

Who should register? We recommend PSA players who enjoy the game, are enthusiastic about learning more about soccer, and players who have done well/ shown potential in their PSA play. We especially recommend this to players who are considering trying out for CFJ West, the official travel club partner of PSA. 

What does my player receive? Players will receive a CFJ West Fire Juniors Cadet tee-shirt. 

What should we bring? Bring a ball and water. Please wear soccer cleats, athletic clothing, your Cadet Academy tee-shirt (once received) and shin-guards covered by soccer socks. We recommend a size 4 for ages 7 and older. For ages 5 and 6 we recommend a size 3 ball.

How does this work with the other soccer options the club offers? Fire Juniors Cadets is the second of two programs supporting the recreational development of players in the PSA and CFJ West communities.

1.  Little Sparks, a Soccer in the Community Program (SITC) run for 2-4 year olds, supports the development of our youngest players through coordination and basic ball mastery. Players who enjoy the sport are encouraged to enter PSA's recreational program where a parent coach leads a team through training and league games. Little Sparks Camps will operate in the summer of 2019. 

2.  Fire Juniors Cadet Academy supports the development these PSA players ages 5-10 years old with an additional technical training session during their PSA soccer season. During this technical training session players will be coached by a member of CFJ West's professional coaching staff. Players who excel in PSA will be encouraged to tryout for CFJ West's travel soccer teams.
    What are some of the benefits of the program? 
        - Skill Acquisition and development
        - Guidance of professional coaches 
        - Inclusion in special Chicago Fire Juniors events such as discounted tickets and on-               field activities at the stadium with the Chicago Fire
        - CFJ West Newsletter
  Will my player be able to join a CFJ West Team? Players that excel in the program will   be invited to join a CFJ West training session for a tryout. During our spring season, we       will also be hosting our annual club tryouts for the following year. Each year, the soccer       calendar starts in mid-August and ends in early June following roughly the school              calendar. 
  When are tryouts? Tryout dates and times are posted on the CFJ West website. A tryout lasts 1.5 hours. During this time, players perform a technical activity, play small sided games before finishing with a larger team match.